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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · object · charge · cold · bowl · spell · mine · cell

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. swing — in golf
  12. charge — electricity
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spell — letters
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spell — a short time
  22. object — an aim
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com